Evaluating recruitment strategies for AUSPICE, a large Australian community-based randomised controlled trial

Peel, R; Ren, S; Hure, A; Evans, TJ; D'Este, CA; Abhayaratna, WP; Tonkin, AM; Hopper, I; Thrift, AG; Levi, CR; Sturm, J; Durrheim, D; Hung, J; Briffa, TG; Chew, DP; Anderson, P; Moon, L; McEvoy, M; Hansbro, PM; Newby, DA; Attia, JR

Evaluating recruitment strategies for AUSPICE, a large Australian community-based randomised controlled trial

Peel, R Ren, S

Hure, A Evans, TJ D'Este, CA Abhayaratna, WP Tonkin, AM Hopper, I

Thrift, AG

Levi, CR

Sturm, J Durrheim, D Hung, J Briffa, TG Chew, DP Anderson, P Moon, L McEvoy, M Hansbro, PM

Newby, DA Attia, JR

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Medical Journal of Australia, 2019, 210 (9), pp. 409 - 415
Issue Date:: 2019-05-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Peel, R	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Ren, S https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0791-7228	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hure, A	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Evans, TJ	en_US
dc.contributor.author	D'Este, CA	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Abhayaratna, WP	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Tonkin, AM	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hopper, I https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8805-370X	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Thrift, AG https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8533-4170	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Levi, CR https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9474-796X	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Sturm, J	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Durrheim, D	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hung, J	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Briffa, TG	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Chew, DP	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Anderson, P	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Moon, L	en_US
dc.contributor.author	McEvoy, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hansbro, PM https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4741-3035	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Newby, DA	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Attia, JR	en_US
dc.date.available	2019-01-24	en_US
dc.date.issued	2019-05-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Medical Journal of Australia, 2019, 210 (9), pp. 409 - 415	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0025-729X	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/132183
dc.description.abstract	© 2019 AMPCo Pty Ltd Objectives: To examine the effectiveness of different strategies for recruiting participants for a large Australian randomised controlled trial (RCT), the Australian Study for the Prevention through Immunisation of Cardiovascular Events (AUSPICE). Design, setting, participants: Men and women aged 55–60 years with at least two cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, overweight/obesity) were recruited for a multicentre placebo-controlled RCT assessing the effectiveness of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (23vPPV) for preventing cardiovascular events. Methods: Invitations were mailed by the Australian Department of Human Services to people in the Medicare database aged 55–60 years; reminders were sent 2 weeks later. Invitees could respond in hard copy or electronically. Direct recruitment was supplemented by asking invitees to extend the invitation to friends and family (snowball sampling) and by Facebook advertising. Main outcome: Proportions of invitees completing screening questionnaire and recruited for participation in the RCT. Results: 21 526 of 154 992 invited people (14%) responded by completing the screening questionnaire, of whom 4725 people were eligible and recruited for the study. Despite the minimal study burden (one questionnaire, one clinic visit), the overall participation rate was 3%, or an estimated 10% of eligible persons. Only 16% of eventual participants had responded within 2 weeks of the initial invitation letter (early responders); early and late responders did not differ in their demographic or medical characteristics. Socio-economic disadvantage did not markedly influence response rates. Facebook advertising and snowball sampling did not increase recruitment. Conclusions: Trial participation rates are low, and multiple concurrent methods are needed to maximise recruitment. Social media strategies may not be successful in older age groups. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12615000536561.	en_US
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/GNT1079187
dc.relation.ispartof	Medical Journal of Australia	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.5694/mja2.50117	en_US
dc.subject.classification	General & Internal Medicine	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Cardiovascular Diseases	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Pneumococcal Vaccines	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Patient Selection	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Advertising	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Middle Aged	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Patient Acceptance of Health Care	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Australia	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Female	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Male	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Social Media	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Surveys and Questionnaires	en_US
dc.title	Evaluating recruitment strategies for AUSPICE, a large Australian community-based randomised controlled trial	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	9	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	210	en_US
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services	en_US
utslib.for	11 Medical and Health Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	9	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	210	en_US

Abstract:

© 2019 AMPCo Pty Ltd Objectives: To examine the effectiveness of different strategies for recruiting participants for a large Australian randomised controlled trial (RCT), the Australian Study for the Prevention through Immunisation of Cardiovascular Events (AUSPICE). Design, setting, participants: Men and women aged 55–60 years with at least two cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, overweight/obesity) were recruited for a multicentre placebo-controlled RCT assessing the effectiveness of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (23vPPV) for preventing cardiovascular events. Methods: Invitations were mailed by the Australian Department of Human Services to people in the Medicare database aged 55–60 years; reminders were sent 2 weeks later. Invitees could respond in hard copy or electronically. Direct recruitment was supplemented by asking invitees to extend the invitation to friends and family (snowball sampling) and by Facebook advertising. Main outcome: Proportions of invitees completing screening questionnaire and recruited for participation in the RCT. Results: 21 526 of 154 992 invited people (14%) responded by completing the screening questionnaire, of whom 4725 people were eligible and recruited for the study. Despite the minimal study burden (one questionnaire, one clinic visit), the overall participation rate was 3%, or an estimated 10% of eligible persons. Only 16% of eventual participants had responded within 2 weeks of the initial invitation letter (early responders); early and late responders did not differ in their demographic or medical characteristics. Socio-economic disadvantage did not markedly influence response rates. Facebook advertising and snowball sampling did not increase recruitment. Conclusions: Trial participation rates are low, and multiple concurrent methods are needed to maximise recruitment. Social media strategies may not be successful in older age groups. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12615000536561.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/132183